The Sun Stands Still

00:00:00 Speaker 1: Yours is the day. Yours also the night. You have established the heavenly lights and the sun Psalm seventy four sixteen. Dear Lord, you are the maker of time, the one who directs both day and night. Every moment rests securely in your hands. Still, we confess that we often feel pressed by the hours, unsure there is enough time for what lies before us. We rush, we worry, and we doubt your ability to work beyond what we can see. Forgive us for forgetting that time obeys. 00:00:42 Speaker 2: You. 00:00:44 Speaker 1: Strengthen our trust so we can ask boldly and depend entirely on your power. Remind us that you hear every cry and move in weighs far greater than we imagine, And when the battle feels long, teach us to rest and your steady strength, knowing you fight for us and that victory in you is certain. Amen. 00:01:10 Speaker 3: Thank you for praying with me today. You're listening to the Chosen People. Remain here for a dramatic story inspired by the Bible. Be sure to follow this podcast so you never miss an episode. 00:01:23 Speaker 4: Click the link of the description to grow closer to God. There you'll find daily prayers, Bible plans, sleep stories, and so much more all on the Prey dot Com app. Click the link of the description to get started. 00:01:38 Speaker 5: Previously on The Chosen People, Tell me, Nicomedy, where are you from and why have you sought out our camp? 00:01:47 Speaker 6: We are your servants. We have traveled here to make a treaty and swear an oath before your God. Would we go through all that trouble if we were your enemies? Please, Joshua, allow us to be your servants. We ask for no land or wealth, just to be in your midst and under your protection. In exchange for service. 00:02:10 Speaker 7: I will honor your request. I will take you to the tabernacle well, we will establish our peace and swear the oath you seek. Once it is done, you can rest here to regain your strength before you return to your elders and tell them of our treaty. 00:02:23 Speaker 8: Those men, the ones we just made a treaty with. Their far away country is not so far away, as it turns out. They are Heavites. The men you met are from the city of Gibbeon. They live only twenty miles from here. 00:02:38 Speaker 5: You're sure, how did you learn this? 00:02:41 Speaker 8: I overheard them speaking to one another. And if that wasn't enough, when I drew closer to confirm my guests. I heard them congratulating themselves over a lie well spun. We have been deceived, General Joshua. Those men were not who they claimed to be. 00:02:58 Speaker 7: We have sworn an oath to you by the Lord, the God of Israel, and we cannot harm you. This is how it will be. You will live, so no wrath will fall on us for breaking the oath we swore to you. But why did you deceive us, claiming you live far away when you were actually on neighbors. Because of this, you are cursed and will always be slaves, woodcutters and water carry us for the house of my God. 00:03:26 Speaker 9: We he feared for our lives. That's why we deceived you. Now we are in your hands. Do to us whatever you think is is right. 00:03:54 Speaker 10: The horns rang out in warning and pierced the stillness of the tranquil, even causing the hairs on Nikole's arms to stand on end. Gibeon was under attack. A moment ago, there was music and a cool breeze drifting over the hill country of Canaan, But now there was only sober and panic. Nikole flung himself from his seat and limped to the stone window of his bedchamber. He peered down at the countryside of rolling hills whi Nicholl saw knotted his stomach in fear, and sweat poured from his brow. Even in the darkness, their black forms dotted the landscape, stretching back and back, like a ravenous disease intent on destroying its host. Nikole gulped audibly as he gaped down at the force marching toward his home. The horns pierced the night again, and Nikole's door swung wide with associated taddoo Hebber's form illuminated in the doorway. 00:04:56 Speaker 6: They're here. 00:04:57 Speaker 5: They need to take this city into the sort. We had to get out now. 00:05:03 Speaker 10: Nikole noted Tadoo's traveling cloak and what appeared to be a hurriedly packed saddle bag slung over his shoulder. 00:05:11 Speaker 6: If the king ordered us to write. 00:05:14 Speaker 10: Tadoo gave a sharp nod, and Nikole hobbled about the room, throwing supplies and clothes into his saddle bag. 00:05:22 Speaker 2: Lead it. 00:05:23 Speaker 9: He had to go now. 00:05:26 Speaker 10: Frantic whales from the city streets below drifted to Nikole's tower home in the royal city of Gibeon. The walls would not be easily breached, and he was safe, and arrows shot from the fields below. But if he and Taddy were being sent as messengers to raise the alarm to their neighbors and allies, they didn't have much time. They had to leave the city before the siege began. Judging by the enemy's numbers and the speed at which they were moving, it might already be too late. The two men hurried as fast as nikoles bent and twisted back would allow him. They moved down the stone steps carved into the sloping hills towards the city's smallest gate, which wound past Gibeon's famed cylindrical pool that gave the gate its name. It was eerily quiet as they rounded the pool's outer edge, and the inky depths rippled in response to the din of a city raising her defenses. Perhaps it was too quiet, and where were the guards? The pool gate was the smallest, but it had never been unmanned. Nikhal shot out an arm to stop Tadoo as his shrewd eyes spotted the slumped bodies in the shadows. A cruel laugh cut through the darkness, and two men emerged, dripping daggers in their hands wet from the blood of the downed guards. 00:06:49 Speaker 5: Going somewhere you backstead and high by dogs, off to fetch your hebrew masters and bark for help. 00:06:56 Speaker 10: The two adversaries circled them like wolves. Nikoll fumbled to find his blade, not that it would do him much good with his mangled back and hobbled limp. 00:07:07 Speaker 5: Now, now can have you two? Raising the alarm? 00:07:11 Speaker 10: Without warning, Tadoo shouted at the top of his. 00:07:14 Speaker 6: Lungs intruders at the boy gate. 00:07:18 Speaker 10: At that the circling soldier lunged at Tadoo, but Tadoo was ready. He threw the soldier back with his blade and thrust Nikol down to get him out of the way. The first soldier lunged forward and kicked Nikol in the jaw, causing Nikoll to bite his tongue and his mouth to fill with blood. The soldier raised his blade above his head and struck Nil. He flew back, grabbing the side of his face. Tadoo tattled a man to the ground, with his face drenched in blood and mouth throbbing. Nikol crawled toward the now unguarded gait. He didn't look back as he seized his opportunity to escape. He had to make it to the Israelite camp. It was time for Joshua to make good on their treaty and come to his people's rescue. Joshua frowned at the bruised and battered man before him. His council in an uproar. If theamar led the charge against the weary refugee from Gibeon. 00:08:19 Speaker 11: Why should we risk God next for Gibeon? Does a treaty of peace between our countries mean we are their bannermen, obligated to ride out at their beckon call? 00:08:29 Speaker 6: And how can we be sure this isn't another deception to draw our army out and attack our civilians on the river bank while we're out on a wild quail chase. 00:08:40 Speaker 11: Yes, exactly. And even if a five kingdom alliance surrounds Gibeon, why not let them squabble and fight amongst themselves. Let them weaken themselves fighting one another. 00:08:53 Speaker 6: Heh, that would certainly make our conquest easier. 00:08:56 Speaker 10: Caleb had taken the deception of Gibeon particularly hard as Joshua's second in command and leader of his armies. Though Joshua would never blame him, Caleb felt tremendous guilt for not having thoroughly vetted the three Gibeonites before they were brought before Joshua. 00:09:15 Speaker 11: Not to mention it would rid us of the embarrassing evidence of our deception. 00:09:20 Speaker 2: No more Gibeon, no more treaty. 00:09:23 Speaker 11: Did they not swear to be our servants, and they wanted peace from us, not war. Not going to war wouldn't be breaking our treaty with them. But anyway, it doesn't matter what we all think. 00:09:34 Speaker 5: What do you think, Joshua? 00:09:36 Speaker 10: Joshua had been keenly observing Nikhal, the Gibeonite ambassador, all the while looking for further signs of deception or subterfuge. His swollen and bloodied lips and jaw certainly looked convincing, and it was evident he made the journey to their camp on foot. His feet were cracked and bleeding, and he had only the clothes on his back and a wild, desperate look in his eyes. Nikol had seen something in Gibeon that haunted him. Joshua was inclined to believe the tale he spun about an Amorite five king alliance uniting against Gibeon in retaliation for aligning themselves with the Israelites. He believed Nikol's stories about a force of thousands now laying siege to his kingdom. But perhaps this predicament presented an opportunity for Israel. 00:10:30 Speaker 5: I think it would be unwise to treat our oath so casually and bearing their interpretations to our whims. But I also think this siege undercost kingdom may be presenting us the strategic break we need. 00:10:43 Speaker 10: Eyebrows shot up around the table at that. 00:10:46 Speaker 2: Think of it. 00:10:48 Speaker 5: Five Amorite kings whose cities are key strongholds the South, all in one place, lowered out into the open, no longer hiding behind their high walls and defenses. Isn't their haste to destroy Gibeon. We could continue to conquer Canaan one stronghold at a time. Our conquest would take years. But if we were to crush multiple enemies at once and further drive our wedge into the heart of the Southern kingdom. You asked what I think, Why I think this is too good an opportunity to dismiss. 00:11:20 Speaker 10: Eager, curling smiles replace skeptical, raised eyebrows as the cleverness of Joshua's plan washed over them. Caleb clapped Joshua on the back, a gleam of admiration in his eye. 00:11:33 Speaker 6: Ha to war for gibbeon, then to war. 00:11:40 Speaker 5: Do not be afraid of them, for I have handed them over to you. Not one of them would be able to stand against you. 00:11:49 Speaker 10: The Lord's words were still ringing in Joshua's ears from when he spoke the words to Joshua as their army flew up the steep terrain to Canaan's hill country under the cover of darkness, And they still rang in Joshua's ears as Joshua repeated them to his men over the sounds of war and dying in the distance as the sun rose, the assault on their unlikely allies in full swing. Upon their arrival, the Israelite men were exhausted from their twenty five mile march and ascending the nearly four thousand foot climb to Gibeon. The Lord would need to hand their enemies over to them in order for them to triumph over these hordes. Currently throwing themselves against the walls of Gibeon, the kings of Jerusalem, hebron, Yarmult, Lakish, and Eglon whirled around to find Gibeon's reluctant protectors suddenly at their back. Joshua could feel their livid stairs from over a mile away, as they barked at their armies to turn and form up around them to face the oncoming thread from the east. 00:13:00 Speaker 12: Enemy, these Zebramaders, if come to take your lands, kill them all. At Zach. 00:13:07 Speaker 10: Joshua drew his sword from its sheath, relishing the sound of irons sliding against smooth leather, and brandished the long javelin over his head. 00:13:16 Speaker 5: With the other hand, Israel remember the promise. 00:13:20 Speaker 7: Together forward Lukshazat's amats. 00:13:25 Speaker 10: With war cries, barred teeth, and pumping arms. The Amorite kings and Israel's armies ran at one another yards before a collision, though, as if waking from a dream, the Amorites slowed to a walk and then stopped. They stood confounded and puzzled, assessing their surroundings and looking around. But when they saw the Israelites barreling toward them, spears down and shields up, they panicked and scattered. As the interlocking wall of iron tipped. 00:13:59 Speaker 2: Spears down on them. 00:14:01 Speaker 10: Joshua stood amazed at the back of the army. Joshua had commanded Nikol to be patched up by their leaders, but then stationed at his side for the battle for safe keeping. Joshua wanted him close to the need for a Gibbeanite hostage arise and the gibbeanis pulled false once more. 00:14:20 Speaker 2: What strange saucery is this, Joshua. 00:14:25 Speaker 5: Grinned at the bent back Gibbeonite. Oh this is nothing for our God. I have a feeling he's just getting started. Does not make anty. 00:14:33 Speaker 10: Gross as if on a queue. Shurning, White, frosty, vertical columns of clouds rolled through and scaring with avengeance, covering the world in an opaque darkness and shielding the morning the sun in its shadow, Lightning spilled the sky and illuminated the faces of the terrified Ammarhite soldiers below, while Israel continued their bootle attack, and then, without warning, hailstones the size of clenched fists rained down, fierce and unrelenting, each one landing with a force that felt like judgment. The hailstones battered shields and dented arms, striking the soldiers down dead where they stood. The crackling metallic town of the sudden electric storm charged the air with a searing piscopal fear More Amorites fell dead, impaled by the hailstones than by the Israelites source. The survivors fled in earnest that this supernatural reckoning that unleashed itself from the heavens. Their lines broke well and truly then, and they turned tail and fled to the west, before the Israelites. 00:15:45 Speaker 5: After them is reel, pursue your enemy. 00:15:48 Speaker 10: The enemy fled for cover from the harrowing hailstorm, through the narrow pass and down the valley Ygelon. Joshua swore under his breath it would take them hours and hours to pursue and vanquish their prey. In the past, his men were spurred on by the adrenaline of war and witnessing the supernatural might of the Lord, but they were only human. They would tire eventually, and the narrow valley was not suitable for camp. They could not let their enemy have the chance to escape and scatter across the land. He had to fulfill the Lord's promise and end this to day, Joshua craned his neck could the already clearing sky. The sun was still climbing towards zenith, but even with over ten hours of sunlight, Joshua wanted more. He needed more time. A wild, audacious idea flashed across Joshua's mind as he lowered his gaze to track the enemy disappearing into the rocky valley. The iridescent moon hung low in the sky, barely visible in the daytime, and peeking over the ridges of the valley, as if drawn by curiosity to these strange events. The mythic sight of the sun and moon together in the sky before him sparked a radical idea drawn from the poetic legends of Hebrew heroes and the ancient law recorded in the Book of Yashah, a favorite of Joshua's, one of the first scrolls his beloved mental Moses had taught him to read all those years. 00:17:23 Speaker 7: Ago, sun sand still of a Gibeon and moon over the valley of Ajalan. 00:17:29 Speaker 10: Joshua could feel a palpable pulse of pressure in the atmosphere. As the Lord acquiesced Joshua's unorthodox request. It was as if the earth spinning undetected beneath them. The forces holding them bound to its presence slowed in response. The sun and moon hung suspended and still Nikal gaped at Joshua as if he sensed it as well. 00:18:00 Speaker 5: God, what is. 00:18:03 Speaker 2: This bore of your god? Duke commn Chapash the torch of the gods, You are at the lamp of the gods, tour ordered the Sun and the moon. The subjects the god you obledged to is the Elohim, creator of the Sun and moon. 00:18:27 Speaker 5: They are. 00:18:27 Speaker 12: Indeed his subjects is the el Elion, God most high. There is no god like him. Look, Nicole of Gibeon, servant of the God of Israel, see the wonders of our God for yourself. 00:18:41 Speaker 10: Nikol trembled, stumbled to his knees, and bowed low before the wonders of his god. The sun stood still and the moon stopped until the nation took vengeance on its enemies. So the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed it setting almost a full day. 00:19:06 Speaker 7: Open the mouth of the cave and bring out those five kings to me. 00:19:10 Speaker 10: Joshua's faithful guards set to work in lodging the great stone. It had been almost two weeks since the day the sun stood still. Joshua had glimpsed the cowardly kings sneaking away from their panicking men and into the mountains to hide. Joshua had not bothered hunting his enemies to stop and deal with them. He instead sent a small detachment of guards to trap them here so they could contemplate how they could leave their men in the field and run to the protection of walls, even walls of a desolate, dripping cave. Israel had safely made camp at Makedah. No one dared threaten the Israelites after this stunning victory. But now to complete the defeat, Joshua called forward Kleb Salmu and the other officers of his army to stand beside him as they surveyed the sniveling Amorite kings bound before them. 00:20:09 Speaker 5: Come here and put your feet on the necks of these kings. 00:20:13 Speaker 10: The guards holding the kings shoved them down to their sides, and the officers marched forward obediently and did as Joshua bid. 00:20:22 Speaker 5: Do not be afraid or discouraged, be strong and courageous, but the Lord will do this to all the enemies you fight. 00:20:30 Speaker 10: Joshua motioned for the officers to back away. He drew his sword from its sheath again, and in five quick successive blows he struck down the five king Alias, sealing the doom of the Southern Canaanite kingdoms. After the decisive battle in the Valley of Ajalon, Israel advanced relentlessly, capturing Makedah, Libna, Lakish, and Eglon, secure in control of the Southern highlands. From there, they drove deeper into the south, taking the fortified cities of Hebron and Debia critical victories, leaving the region largely subdued. Yet Jerusalem remained impenetrable and defiant and isolated pagan stronghold of Jebusites amidst a conquered land. That campaign would have to wait for another day, but its presence was a thorn, a reminder that Israel's work in the land was far from finished. 00:21:44 Speaker 4: If today's reading moved you, the Prey dot Com app is where you can go deeper with daily prayers, Bible plans and more. Download at free link in the description. 00:21:54 Speaker 10: This Prey dot Com production is only made possible by our dedicated team of creative time. Steve Katina, Max Bard, Zach Shellabarger and Ben Gammon are the executive producers of The Chosen People, narrated by Paul Coltofianu. Characters are voiced by Jonathan Gotten, Aaron Salvado, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan, Stephen Ringwold, Sylvia Zaradoc, Thomas Copeland Junior, Rosanna Pilcher, and Mitch Leshinsky. Music by Andrew Morgan Smith, written by Aaron Salvato, bre Rosalie and Chris Baig. You can hear more Prey dot com productions on the Prey dot Com app, available on the Apple App Store and Google play Store. If you enjoyed The Chosen People, please rate and leave a review,